HAMM Companies received the 2019 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award in January as part of the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association meeting in Lenexa.

This award recognizes companies that excel in implementing mined land reclamation and convey a positive image of mining in Kansas. While speaking at the Association’s Jan. 10 meeting, Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz presented the Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award to Hamm on behalf of Governor Laura Kelly.

The reclaimed area of the Herington Quarry covers 80 acres in Marion County. The landowner worked with HAMM to enhance the property, which was previously mined by another operator, with planned reclamation focusing on wildlife habitat. As stated by HAMM’s employees: “Rather than restoring the land to plots suited for agriculture, the landowner worked with HAMM, the Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, and the Wildlife Habitat Council to create a management plan that would promote a population increase of wildlife as well as natural plant life.”

Four ponds were constructed to provide water for wildlife. Seeding of native grasses and wildflowers and pollinator plantings was completed after sloping, grading and top soiling the mined area. Nearly 10 acres of wildlife food plots were planted as well as grass buffers.

HAMM Companies is based in Perry, Kansas, and operates 17 aggregate quarries across the state. The site was mined by HAMM for 30 years, producing over 1.5 million tons of usable rock. The Herington Quarry was a surface mine that extracts aggregate materials from the earth and manufactures high quality materials for the local construction industry.

For more information, contact Scott Carlson with the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Conservation at 785-564-6618 or scott.carlson@ks.gov.